The Keel Row is a traditional Northumbrian song. It isn’t clear how old the song is, but it had been around a long time before these new words were written to the tune. 

The original song is about the work of keelmen. Keels were large shallow boats used for transporting coal along the Tyne. Keelmen would load and sail the keels to the mouth of the Tyne where they were loaded into larger ships for sea travel. This was hard physical work, dangerous and badly paid. 

Sword Dancing is a traditional form of Northumbrian dance, usually performed by men. It is also called rapper dancing. Each of the dancers hold a blade with a handle at each end. They interlink to make patterns with the blades. 

It isn’t sure how old sword dancing is. The 1930 Pathe film (see link below) claims that it is 100 years old. This document shows that it was probably older than that.

Shilbottle is an ancient village about four miles away from Alnwick, to the southeast. The village had a coal mine since 1728, until its closure in 1981. 

Each of the verses in this song describe the process of the mine workings. The Overman gives the orders, the hewer extracts the coal. The coal is transported from the coalface by the putter. The banksman then inspects the coal that is brought to the surface. Waggonways then take it to Alnwick.  

weel – Northumberland dialect for well.

Acklington, Framlington, Broomhill, Newton – other Northumberland villages nearby (Long)Framlington, Newton-by-the-Sea 

overman – in charge of the day-to-day working of a colliery. 

score – the standard number of tubs (for transporting coal) at each pit. Usually 20. The wages of the hewer and putter were worked out according to the score. 

tram – wooden carriage that the tubs (or corfs) were transported on. 

trapper – small child who worked in the mine (before 1842 they were likely to be under 10 years old). Their job was to open and close doors in the mine so that the trams could pass through. 

hewer – man who works at the coal face getting the coal out.  

cracket – small stool used by the hewer so that he could keep in uncomfortable positions (see link below).

stem – pack explosives into a drilled hole.

fires his shot – sets off the explosives.

putter – man who transports coal from hewer at the coal face to the mine shaft.

coup – crane that brings corves to the surface.

jinking (or jenking) – narrow passage way through a pillar of coal. 

rolley – carriage used to carry tubs or corves, usually pulled by a horse.

corf (pluaral corves) –baskets placed on rolley or tram to transport coal in the mine. Tubs did the same thing but were made or wood or iron. 

banksman – takes the tubs off the crane or winding machine at the surface. Weighs and records that amount of coal mined each day.